Event Marketer: Road Blocks

A recent article posted by Event Marketer, Road Blocks, details improvements on the status quo for live marketing tours. The article suggests that traditional, nationwide marketing tours are a thing of the past, giving way to smarter, more targeted tour options. I found this particularly interesting since I am currently on a nationwide marketing tour. The main takeaways are:

As diesel prices hover around the $4.50 mark, unnecessary mileage becomes even more costly
Maximizing staff, through less travel and more marketing - utilize down time to create more opportunities for connecting with consumers and focus deeper on fewer markets per tour
Downsize your vehicles and ship materials/products rather than transporting them yourself

These are all great tips for thinking progressively about event marketing tours. I believe in the power of experiential marketing, but our current economic state leaves no room for extraneous promotional spending. That's not to say investing money on marketing while being strategic and focused should disappear either. In the endurance realm, there are beneficial sponsorship opportunities around every corner, the key is selecting the right events and executing effectively. These pointers can help brands and agencies think differently and become infinitely more successful by changing the status quo.

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Letters to Ironman

Image: Ironman As the final selection of videos nears for the " Kona Inspired " promotion and the winners are chosen for their spots in the World Championships, Ironman is asking athletes to submit letters (and artwork, photography, lyrics, etc.) detailing what makes Ironman a part of their daily lives. This submission request is to help celebrate the 35th anniversary of Ironman in 2013. Like the Kona Inspired promotion, this will generate plenty of emotional content that can later be used in advertising and other promotion. See more about promotions and contests from Ironman on their Facebook page.

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